The US/Mexican border is in a state of constant, painful crisis. Thousands of people arrive at our country’s southern border seeking admission to the United States so they can try to eke out a better life. Some of those people are children. Many of them arrive with adults, some are separated from their parents in the United States, but some make the trip alone. 

Hear My Voice is a tough book to read, but it offers crucial insight into what is happening to children in our nation’s care. Children offer descriptions of their lives as unaccompanied minors at the US/Mexican border in their own words. Children talk about being separated from their parents, about being hungry, cold, afraid and exposed. They talk about how children end up taking care of each other in overcrowded and under resourced cells.

Hear My Voice is beautifully illustrated by artists of Hispanic descent living in the United States, Mexico and Central America. Each artist has a different way of rendering the plight of unaccompanied minors at the border with tenderness and authenticity that pulls readers into the kids’ testimonies.

Hear My Voice is powerful because it allows children to speak the truth to someone who will listen and try to help. The book is one avenue for getting help. Hearing the children speak in their own voices about the conditions they’ve had to endure is powerful advocacy. The proceeds of the book sale go to organizations that are helping children at the border.

Hear My Voice is available on bookshop.org for pre-order. Jambo Books is a Bookshop affiliate and may earn a commission if you purchase using this link.